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AP U.S. History Videos 294 videos

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AP U.S. History Exam 1.23 166 Views


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Description:

AP U.S. History Exam 1.23. Which piece of legislation was the image created in response to?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

[ musical flourish ]

00:03

And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by Free Soilers,

00:07

the cheapest gardening material on the market.

00:09

All right, which piece of legislation was the image created in response to?

00:12

This image right here. Big mouth.

00:14

And here are your potential answers.

00:16

[ mumbles ]

00:20

All right, well, let's take a closer look at this hair-raising image.

00:24

Those men - the ones standing on the Democratic platform -

00:27

they're forcing slavery down the throat of a Free Soiler,

00:31

someone opposed to the expansion of slavery in the Western territories.

00:35

Could this image have been created as a response to the

00:38

passage of the A - Compromise of 1850?

00:41

Hmm. Well, the Compromise of 1850 allowed

00:44

California to be admitted as a free state,

00:46

as well as delaying decisions about slavery in

00:48

the New Mexico and Utah territories.

00:51

And while we're on the subject of compromises,

00:53

the Missouri Compromise closed

00:55

Kansas to slavery altogether.

00:57

So Free Soilers would have rooted for

01:00

both of these legislative acts. So cross out A and C.

01:03

Was this image published as a reaction to the

01:06

D - Fugitive Slave Act?

01:08

Well, the Fugitive Slave Act required

01:10

that escaped slaves in the North

01:12

be returned to their owners in the South,

01:14

forcing those against slavery to take

01:17

part in its continuation.

01:19

However, Free Soilers were specifically

01:22

opposed to the expansion of slavery, not necessarily its

01:25

eradication in places it already existed.

01:28

So that knocks out D, as well.

01:29

Which means that this cartoon was a reaction to the

01:31

passage of the B - Kansas-Nebraska Act.

01:35

The Kansas-Nebraska Act changed the game by

01:37

overturning the Missouri Compromise,

01:40

which allowed citizens in Kansas and Nebraska

01:42

to decide on the slavery issue through

01:44

popular sovereignty. In the eyes of the Free Soilers, this was like

01:47

having slavery shoved down their very large throats.

01:51

So B is the right answer.

01:53

Though there were plenty of people out there in favor of

01:55

the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Free Soilers thought this

01:57

whole popular sovereignty thing was, uh, well,

02:00

pretty unpopular.

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